Black Arts Organizations and Black Philanthropy

This research evaluates the current state of giving to Black arts orgnization from African American individuals. Additionaly, findings show that many Black arts orgnizations are failing to raise funds from individuals on the whole, due to socio-historical factors and the lack of resources.  Over the past decade, Black arts organizations have appeared to solicit individual support at a considerably slower pace than other arts institutions even as the availability of grants and private funding opportunities shift with changes in the economy.  A few Black arts organizations have experienced surprising success with galvanizing individual support, while others seem to lag behind. This essay provides case studies of four New York-based Black arts organizations to 1)analyze the level of funding given to these organizations by Blacks and 2)explore how they manage to galvanize Blacks and indiviual donors to become supporters.